Macro diving capital
Mabul, Kapalai and Semporna Macro Critters
Mabul and Kapalai offer classic macro diving.
Hover close to the seabed to look for blue-ringed octopus, an occasional sighting on the sandy slopes.
Marine life
Cephalopods and rare nudibranchs
The flamboyant cuttlefish inhabits the open sand flats of Mabul and Kapalai. Keep an eye out for it walking across the seabed using modified arms. It flashes bright yellow and maroon warning colours when threatened. The blue-ringed octopus is another venomous cephalopod you can look for here.
The frogfish is a master of camouflage. The painted frogfish is regular on the muck sites. The Semporna mainland is the capital for rare nudibranchs like the highly photogenic Pikachu nudibranch.
Mabul and Kapalai islands
Mabul Island features shallow reef profiles and gentle slopes of natural volcanic sand. Kapalai is a submerged sandbank. The Semporna mainland shows a different side of Semporna's marine life, with dense silt and mud.
The dusk dive
The mating dance of the mandarinfish is a highlight for many photographers. The mating ritual occurs strictly at dusk. You must use red light filters on your focus lights.
Explore these locations
Related
Keep planning
Sipadan Island
An oceanic island rising from deep water in the Celebes Sea, Sipadan is Sabah's flagship dive site. It is protected by a strict permit system with no accommodation on the island itself and offers exceptional encounters with schooling barracuda, reef sharks and turtles.
Mabul Water Bungalows
A network of 38 wooden chalets on stilts over a shallow sandbank off Mabul Island. Choose this resort for macro diving from the jetty and boat trips to Sipadan.
Tun Sakaran Marine Park
A 45-minute speedboat ride from Semporna, Tun Sakaran is a 350-square-kilometre marine park famous for the Bohey Dulang viewpoint, recovering coral reefs and shallow snorkelling islands.
The dive sites
Enquire directly
Tell the team which rare nudibranchs and cephalopods you want to photograph and they will build your specific dive itinerary.